Closure-retaining device



Sept. 23. 1924.

J. H. FRANCIS CLOSURE RETAINING DEVICE Filed April 21. 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet l en 414mm Mk7 J. H. FRANCIS CLOSURE RETAINING DEVICE Flled Anrll 21 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 23 1924.

r 3mm 2,4 W

Sept. 23 1924.

. J. H. FRANCIS CLOSURE RETAINING DEVICE Filed April 21. 1920 I5 Sheets-Sheet Patented Sept 23, 1924 UNITED STATES 1,509,421 PATENT oFFICE.

JOHN H. FRANCIS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE KILBY MANlIFACTUR- ING COMPANY, Old CLEVELAND, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CLOSURE-RETAINING: DEVICE. 7

Application filed April 21, 1920.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. FRANCIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county or Cuyahog'a and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful lmprovement in Closuredl-etaining Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to closure operatdevices, and has special reference to the closures employed for the bottom of difli'usion cells such as employed in sugar making although equally applicable to extractors, digcsters, autoclaves, and many other types of devices such as those employed in food preparation, garbage reduction, the produc tion of certain chemicals, and other situations. The objects of the invention are the provision of means for securing such a closure very strongly in place and looking it against accidental release while rendering its intentional release very easy of accom plishment; the provision of a closure which shall be especially applicable for use with an automatically swinging door; while further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as, the description proceeds.

In the drawings accompanying and ior1n- .ing a part of this application I have shown my improvements as applied to one type of sugar extractor, although it will be understood that the same is not restricted to this use and that the particular construction of closure here delineated constitutes only one of many forms in which my inventive idea can be embodied. In these drawings Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of an extractor provided with a closure-retainer of my invention; Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional detail view through my improved latching mechanism corresponding to the line 22 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of such mechanism, certain parts being shown in section.

Describing by eterence characters the 1 arts shown in these drawings, 1 represents the body of a suitable tank or container provided with a hopper-bottom 2 closed by a l'rorizontal door 3 which is pivoted upon a horizontal axis l, in such wise as to move when open to the position shown in dotted lines. This door is shown as provided with Serial No. 375,483.

a rearwardly extending arm 5 to which is attached a counter weight 6, so adjusted as normally to hold the door in closed position but by the combined weight of the door and the tank contents to be displaced sulficiently to be caught by the latch 7 and retained in open position. I have shown the top of the tank as covered by the hood 8 having therein a suitable charging opening closed by a removable cover 9, the entire device being so located relatively to the working floor 10 that only the hood projects thereabove.

Carried by the hopper bottom 2 opposite the hinge 4: are a pair of brackets 1212 between which is located a horizontal shaft the ends of said shaft being reduced in size to form trunnions 1l14l which are journaled in said brackets, said trunnions being eccentric to the shaft. Loosely journaled on each end oi the shaft 13 is a hub 15 having at one side the integral depending hook 16 and at the other side the intergral wing 17. Each wing is provided with an. abutment 18 projecting towards the opposits wing tor a purpose which will be described hereafter, and also with an aperture 19 through which projects the bolt 20 whose opposite end is suitably secured to a suitable portion or": the tank as by the pivot 21. Between each wing 17 and the tank wall there is interposed acoil spring 22,

which tends to move the hook into engaging position, while the outer end of each bolt is provided with suitable nuts 23 to limit the movement of the hook.

Rig-idly secured to the shaft 13 between the hub'1515 is a sleeve 25 formed with a pair of lingers 26-26 adapted under suitable conditions to engage the abutments 181S and move the hooks to releasing position against the action of the springs 22. The exterior of the sleeve is also provided with an apertured ear 27 to which is articulated the link 28 whose opposite end is pivoted to the horizontal rod 29 carried by the arms 3030 which in turn are pivoted to the bracket 31. The last named parts are so arranged that when the device is in closed position the rod 29 is held by the arms 30 immediately behind the wings 17-47, thus constituting a prop which prevents the accidental disengagement of the hooks. I have shown the rod 29 as surrounded between the arms 3030 with suitable spacing sleeves 3232 which hold the link 28 perpendicular to the shaft.

Rigidly secured to one of the trunnions 14 is an operating arm 35 to the end of which issecured the operating rod 36. In the present embodiment the rod rises past the tank where it is connected to a suitable lever 37 by means of which the latch can be operated.

When it is desired to release this latch the lever 37 is operated to elevate the rod 36 thereby rocking the shaft 18. The arrangement is such that during the first part of this movement the eccentric movement of the shaft lowers the book 16, and also elerates the rod 29 out of obstructing position, although the hooks still remain in engagement with the closure under the influence of the springs 22. The continued rotation of the shaft brings the fingers 26 into engagement with the abutments 18 and rocks the hooks out of engagement with the closure which thereupon drops suddenly to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. allowing the contents of the tank to be discharged into a suitable receptacle (not shown). Vhen the tank has emptied itself completely the closure is released by moving the latch 7 and thereupon returns by gravity to nearly closed position where it can be caught by the book 16 and drawn back tightly to its seat against the gasket 40.

It will be understood that many changes can be made in detail and arrangement within the scope of my invention and I do not limit myself in any way except as defined in the claims hereto annexed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, an eccentricallymounted shaft, a hook journaled thereon, positive means for rotating said hook about said shaft'into operative position, and means for then-rotating said shaft to impart translatory movement to said hook.

2. The combination with a receptacle and its closure of an eccentric journaled on the receptacle, a hook member journaled on said eccentric and adapted to engage said closure, and having a wing projecting in the opposite direction, a movable device adapted to be interposed behind said wing to hold said hook engaged, means yieldingly tending to move said hook toward engaging position, a part movable with said eccentric and adapted upon the rotation of the same, first to displace said device from interposed position and second to rock said book out of engaging position, and means for turning said eccentric.

3. In combination. an ecccntrically mounted shaft, a hook journaled thereon. and means for first rotating said hook about said shaft into operative position and then r0- tating said shaft to impart substantially longitudinal motion to said hook.

l. The combination with a receptacle and its closure, a rotatable member carried by said receptacle, a hook pivoted thereon. adapted to engage said closure, means yieldingly forcing said hook in closure engaging position, means for rotating said member, cam means operative upon such rotation to move said hook longihidinally, means cooperating with said hook when the same is positioned at one extreme of its longitudinal movement for securing the same positively against swinging movement, and means operative when the hook is moved toward the other extreme of its movement for first rendering said securing means inoperative and later swinging said hook laterally.

The combination with a receptacle and a closure therefor, of a hook carried by said receptacle and arranged for longitudinal and lateral movement, continuously acting means effective to move said hook laterally into engagement with said closure and then actuate movable means adapted when moved in one direction to draw said hook longitudinally in such wise as to clamp said closure to its seat and simultaneously to lock said hook against swinging, said last means being adapted when moved in the opposite direction first to shift said book longitudinally in a direction to reduce the pressure on said closure, second to unlock said book, and third to swing said hook away from said closure.

6. The con'ibination with a receptacle and a closure therefor, of a bracket carried by said receptacle, a hook adapted to engage said closure, a rotatable member having relatively eccentric portions one of which is pivoted in said bracket and on the other of which said hook is pivoted, means tending to swing said hook into engagement with said closure and into position whereby rotation of said member will move said hook longitudinally in. one direction, and means on said member adapted upon such rotation of said member to engage a part of said hook and swing said hook laterally out of engagement with said closure.

7. The combination with a receptacle and a closure therefor of abracket carried by said receptacle, a hook adapted to engage said closure, and l'ia-ving an integral win", a rotatable member having relatively eccentric portions one of which is pivoted to said bracket and to the other of which said hook is pivoted, means tending to swing said hook into engagement with said closure, means operatively connected to said member and adapted when the same is turned in a dircc tion to draw the hook lmigitudinally toward said closure to engage said wing so as to prevent the swinging of said hook, and means operatively connected to said member and.

adapted when the same has been turned in the opposite direction to swing said hook laterally against the action of said first means.

8. I11 combination, an eccentrically mounted shaft, a hook journaled thereon, means for rotating said hook about said shaft into operative position, means for locking said hook in such position, and means for mov ing said locking means into and out of locking position.

9. In a device of the character described, in combination, a receptacle having a downwardly facing discharge outlet, a closure for the same pivoted upon a horizontal axis at one side thereof, a hook at the opposite side of the outlet adapted to engage the closure, and a single lever operatively connected and adapted when moved in one direction to draw said hook longitudinally toward said receptacle when so engaged and secure it against unlocking and also adapted When moved in the opposite direction to release said hook longitudinally and swing it laterally.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a support of a rock shaft having terminal eccentric portions, brackets in which the latter portions are journaled and carried by said support, a pair of hubs journaled on said shaft between said brackets, each 'hub having a hook and a wing, a sleeve secured to said shaft between said hubs and having a pair of arms adapted to engage said wings, a prop device pivotcd to said support and adpated to engage said wings to secure said hooks against swinging, and a link pivoted to said sleeve and prop adpated to move the latter out of engagement with said wings before said arms come into engagement with those wings.

11. In combination, an eccentrically mounted shaft, a hook journaled thereon, means for rotating said hook about said shaft into operative position, means for rotating said shaft to impart translatory motion to said hook, means for locking said hook in operative position, and means for moving said locking means into and out of locking position.

12. In combination, an eccentrically mounted shaft, a hook journaled thereon, means forfirst rotating said hook about said shaft into operative position and then rotating said shaft to impart substantially longitudinal motion to said hook, means for locking said hook in operative position, and means for moving said locking means into and out of locking position.

13. In combination, a receptacle, a closure therefor, an eccentrically mounted shaft supported by said receptacle, a hook journaled on said shaft and adapted to be moved into position to cooperate with said closure, means for rotating said hook about said shaft into cooperating position, and means for thereafter rotating said shaft to impart to said hook a substantially longitudinal movement effective to tightly close said closure.

let. In combination, a receptacle, a closure therefor biased to substantially closed posi tion, an eccentrically mounted shaft carried by said receptacle, a hook journaled on said shaft and adapted to cooperate with said closure, means for rotating said hook about said shaft into cooperating position, and means for rotating said shaft to impart to said hook substantially longitudinal movement effective to tightly close said closure.

15. In con'ibination, a receptacle, a closure therefor biased to substantially closed position, a hook adapted to engage said closure when said closure is in substantially closed position, means for moving said hook to engaging position, and means for thereafter imparting to said hook a substantially longitudinal movement to thereby cause said hook to tightly close said closure.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix mv signature.

JOHN H. FRANCIS. 

